Fool Me Twice
by VashandNaomiForever
Summary: Zuko gets caught in the act of cheating on Mai with Katara. Short story.
1. Chapter 1

Fool Me Twice. . .

Disclaimer: Don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender

The halls of the Fire Lords palace were quiet, in a grand bedroom across the hall from Zuko's own room there were rustling sounds. Mai was gathering her belongings and tossing them carelessly in a bag. For many mornings now, she had gone in to wake the sleeping Fire Lord and heard him call out another girl's name. When she had told him this, Zuko had down played it, saying he couldn't help what he said in his sleep. It was last night that had been the last straw. He had invited his little Avatar friends over for dinner. The group hadn't been together for a whole year, so when they had arrived everyone was excited and emotional. Mai had tried to hide in the background, wanting Zuko to enjoy himself and not worry about keeping her happy. Being 'nice' had backfired.

They had all gathered around the dining table and eaten a glorious feast. When it got later in the evening some of the guests went to retire to their rooms, since apparently they were spending the night. Great, whatever. Like Mai really cared. She herself had grown tired of all the happiness in the room and went to bed. She woke up around three in the morning, she thought she had heard something thump outside in the hall. Grabbing her knives, just in case, she went out to investigate. Across from her room slept Zuko, or at least he was supposed to be sleeping. She heard murmuring, heavy breathing, the door was slightly ajar, and so she peeked inside. She wished she hadn't.

On his grand bed, with the red silk sheets, wrapped in each other's arms were Zuko and that water bender. She quickly looked away, her heart beginning to break into tiny little pieces. He had dumped her once, but cheating? What was going on in his head? What happened to the guy she fell in love with? The Zuko she knew would never do something so ugly to her. She looked again, to make sure it wasn't a dream, some nightmare she was having. Maybe she was still asleep? She sliced her arm with one of her knives. She felt the sharp pain from the weapon, a small trickle of blood beginning to form. Yep, she wasn't dreaming alright. She watched as her Zuko, the Fire Lord, did all the things she wanted him to do to her with someone else. She should have killed him then and there, but no. She let her emotions get the best of her and rushed back to her room to cry. Crying wasn't something Mai _ever_ did, but this betrayal was just too much, she couldn't hold her emotions in any longer. She spent the rest of her evening, deciding what to do in the morning.

It came down to her decision to leave the palace, she'd move back in with her parents. Anywhere was better than being under the same roof as the two timing cheater. He had noticed her missing at breakfast when he started searching for her. He had caught her packing her clothes.

"What's going on?" He had the audacity to ask! Sure he didn't know yet that she had seen him in the act, but he knew what he had done. You would have thought he'd been smart enough to put the pieces together.

"I can't live here anymore." She told him, flinging her belongings in the bag, wishing he'd leave her be. When she felt him reaching out to touch her, she turned and held a knife to his throat.

"If you ever try to touch me again, I'll kill you." He gaped at her in astonishment. She let her arm drop and continued to pack.

He walked to the door, getting ready to leave her be, "If it's what you want Mai." With that he left and shut the door behind him. She picked up a vase and threw it at the door.

"All I wanted was you, you bastard! You ruined EVERYTHING!" She screamed at the door. Her emotions letting loose once more. She had thought last night crying had been enough, but it appeared she had more pent up deep inside her. Her heart ached as she finished packing and headed out the door, working her way through the palace. She made it outside and was walking out the giant gates and down the stairs leading to the port when she ran into another unwanted presence.

Katara was making her way up the stairs; she stopped when she realized it was Mai coming down, with luggage.

"Everything okay?" Katara asked a worried look on her face.

'You can't hide your lying eyes…' She silently thought to herself as she mumbled a fine and continued her way down the steep stairs, wishing the water bender would fall down them.

"Where are you going?" Katara asked, beginning to follow her. 'Great!' Mai thought sarcastically 'Now she's following me.'

"Home." She told her, hoping the little witch would just let it be.

She sensed Katara about to reach out and touch her shoulder; Mai dodged it, grabbing a hold of the girls arm and throwing her over her back. Katara landed hard on her side against the stairs.

"Don't EVER touch me," Mai growled, death glare in her eyes. She went around the body and continued her way down to the port. If she were lucky, she would never see these people, or this place, ever again.


	2. Chapter 2

Fool Me Twice. . .

Disclaimer: Don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender

Zuko didn't know what Mai's problem was. They had parted in pleasant enough terms. She'd gone to bed early for Agni's sake! What had he done? The Fire Lord tried to think back to last night to see if he could remember anything he did that might have caused her anger. They all had eaten dinner; no one had said anything mean to Mai, had they said anything at all to her? No, not that he could remember. He supposed he had been a bit preoccupied with his own agenda that night. Still, Mai was use to sulking in the corner, ignoring her couldn't be the reason why she had taken off.

After dinner, most everyone had gone to their bedrooms, all except Himself and Katara. They had gotten up from the table; he had asked her if she would like to see the gardens outside. She had agreed, so they went out in the royal gardens to walk and chit chat. He had been wondering all night a specific question to ask her, and had finally gotten up the nerve to ask her.

"So, you and Aang…Are you together?" Katara looked a bit uncomfortable when he asked her this. She sat down on the nearby fountain and patted the seat beside her. Zuko sat and listened intently to what she had to say.

"He wants me to, and we hang out together almost every day, but I just can't…" She trailed off her sentence.

"What?" Zuko tried to get her to continue.

"I keep waiting for someone else to ask." She told him, her copper cheeks turning a shade of pink.

Zuko, being the type that didn't get subtle hints asked stupidly, "Who?"

Katara had rolled her eyes and shook her head. "It's this guy, that I've always had this crush on, but he has a girlfriend right now. So I keep waiting to see if they'll make it or not, hoping that maybe he'll see I'm the right one…" Zuko's mind slowly put together the pieces, and his realization made him blush.

Katara took notice of his blush, and turned her face away from him, a bit ashamed for telling him the truth of the matter. "Katara." He spoke her name; his hand reached out and touched her shaking hand.

"Please, don't think too badly of me." She told him, embarrassed at her selfish desire.

It was true, Zuko was seeing Mai at the moment, but nothing meaningful had happened between them. He hadn't even seen the girl naked. They slept in separate beds, hung out during the day when it suits them, they shared fleeting kisses, but was it something he wanted to stick with forever? Deep down, he knew in his heart what he had really wanted, but he had always assumed Aang had called dibs on her. He didn't want to take something that belonged to the Avatar. So he sort of settled for Mai. Which sounded horrible, the word 'settled' but in all honesty, she wasn't the only thing he wanted in his life. There had always been a small voice, a hope in the back of his mind that maybe, someday, he could be with the girl he dreamed about. The girl whose name he had been calling out lately in his sleep. Katara.

"I'd be lying if I said I hadn't thought about you in that way." He told her, making her blue eyes gaze up at him with silent disbelief. They looked at one another, both thinking of how many times they had wanted to be able to tell each other their feelings. Katara took her right hand and placed it gently against the scarred part of his face.

"I'm in love with you Zuko. I have been for a long time now. Even if I'm wrong in doing so, I don't care anymore." She leaned in and kissed him tenderly on the lips.

Shortly after, he had taken her to his bedroom, where they proceeded to make love. He never wanted her to leave his side. Everything they did to one another, felt natural and right. Her breathing in his ear was warm and heavy as he entered her; claiming her for himself, marking her as his very own. She would never feel another man's touch the way she felt his. His mind was euphoric, the reality that he still was with Mai never even occurred to him. All he could think about was Katara, and all the things he wanted to do to her. When they had finished, the couple laid silently on the bed, both deep in thought of what was to come afterwards. She needed to leave before people began to awaken, so with a farewell kiss and a promise of returning to him when time allowed, she left.

When he was alone in his bed, the reality of what he had done still had not hit him. He felt too damn good to feel guilty about something so beautiful, so right. He would not and could not believe himself a bad person for following his heart. He rolled onto his side and fell into a blissful sleep.

Even when he had run into Mai, the thought of cheating on her for Katara had never crossed his mind. He had assumed she was just pissy about something else, and that that was why she had left the palace. But now, looking back on everything, maybe she had found out? Maybe she knew what he had done, had they forgotten to close the door all the way? Either way, what's done was done. He couldn't take back making love to Katara, and he didn't want to. Mai was a strong individual; she would cope and someday find someone else to fall in love with. Still, he had this feeling, that maybe doing this would somehow bite him in ass one day…

"He betrayed you, didn't he Mai?" Mai looked away from the cell, her head hung in silence.

"He betrayed you like he did his own family, what did you really expect?" Mai kept her head ducked down, ashamed. "Release me Mai, we'll get him back. Together." Mai looked up into those half mad eyes, the eyes she grew up with as a child.

"I need to think." Mai said, her voice echoing off the walls of the desolate tower.

"Take your time, it's not like I'm going anywhere." The other female voice began to laugh hysterically. Mai turned her back on the fallen princess and left to think about her options.


	3. Chapter 3

Fool Me Twice. . .

Disclaimer: Don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender

"What do you mean you're not coming home with us?" Yelled the agitated water tribe warrior. "What am I supposed to tell Gram Gram?"

Katara sighed at her outraged brother, "Tell her, I'm marrying the Fire Lord." The whole room grew silent at this statement.

Aang looked angrily at Zuko, who tried to avoid his gaze. Sokka stood there with his mouth hung open, not believing what she had just told him. Hadn't Aang been courting his sister? Finally Suki spoke up, "Well that's great!" She smiled and hugged her sister-in law. Suki's growing belly bumping against the water bender's slender frame. The Kyoshi warrior was 6 month's pregnant. Suki was trying hard to make the group calm down over Katara's announcement.

"What about that other girl? You know, depressing to be around?" Toph asked.

Silence followed. Zuko coughed, feeling really uncomfortable now. "Yeah, where _is_ Mai?" Aang asked, suspicious look on his face.

"She left." Was all Zuko could come up with to say to the airbender. More silence followed, almost as if the group had a nagging feeling something sour had happened between the former couple.

"Anyway." Katara began, "I'm staying. We'll see each other again at the wedding." The word wedding made Aang flinch as if someone had hit him.

"Katara, before we go, could you and I have a talk? Alone." He eyed Zuko when he said the last word.

"Sure Aang." She agreed, trying to down play everything.

O_O_O

The Avatar and Katara stood outside the palace, leaning on the balcony railing. Katara felt her stomach ache in worry over what he had to tell her. She didn't want to make this anymore awkward than it already felt. Aang turned to her and she cringed at the redness in his eyes, knowing he had been crying silently this whole time.

"I remember the first day we met, when you got me out of that iceberg. When I first set eyes on you I thought you were the prettiest girl I'd ever seen." Katara blushed, remembering with him.

"We've been through so much together, fighting side by side, and having fun too. I had thought that after the war, you'd have come to a decision about. . .us." His voice broke at the last word. "We've spent this last year together and I've enjoyed every minute spent with you. Yet apparently, you haven't been happy." His frown deepened, "What can I do to make you happy?" He asked her. "What can I do to make you love me the way you love him?"

Katara felt like she'd been slapped with those words. Why did he have to keep trying to win her over when she just wasn't into him like that? "If you want to make me happy, you have to let me go Aang." She told him. Aang began to shake with emotion, his gaze fell from her and she could sense his gentle heart breaking.

"I know I should, it's just so hard…" He choked out, trying so hard not to completely break down over this.

"Please Aang. You deserve someone to love you as much as you love them. You'd never get that with me. You're entitled to your own happiness too Aang; just not with me." The waterbender told him, the Avatar let out a shaky sigh.

"I guess, there's not changing your mind then?" He asked, already knowing the answer. She shook her head and he nodded in understanding.

The Avatar group left the Fire Lord's palace on Appa; promising to come to the wedding when the couple decided on a date. Katara watched as Aang steered Appa in the direction of the water tribe, never looking back.

O_O_O

It had been six weeks since Mai had left the Fire Lord's palace, and in the amount of time, there were already posters everywhere of the young couple announcing their upcoming betrothal. In the years she had been dating Zuko, he had never even _mentioned_ marriage! It took that bastard less than six weeks to decide the water bender was worth marrying? It drove her crazy. Everywhere she went, she'd see his stupid face beside the tramp. Smiling and happy and ready to say their "I do's". She didn't see how it was fair that he could be so happy while she was miserable!

Her parents had not allowed her to move back in with her; calling her a disgrace, angry that she didn't win the Fire Lords heart and make them his in-laws. All they cared about was their social status, and now they'd never be that close to royalty again! All because of her!

Mai now roamed city to city, finding abandoned places to rest at night. She had nowhere to go, and no one to help her.

'Maybe, I should release her…Then we could get him back.' She thought to herself. 'She's crazy though! How am I supposed to control, let alone trust someone whose nuts? Like you have a lot going for you right now anyway, Mai.' She thought bitterly. 'Wouldn't it just be horrible if something bad happened on their special day?' She thought sarcastically as she eyed another stupid poster.

O_O_O

_Thank you for reading and reviewing! I hope you still like the story! I'm a Zutara fan myself, so it's interesting playing with Mai's character and making her emotion's relatable. At least I hope they are! Please always feel free to review the heck out of the story! I enjoy reading them immensely! I will try to keep up with this story so that hopefully it will be one that I actually finish! ^_^" -__VashandNaomiForever_


	4. Chapter 4

Fool Me Twice. . .

Disclaimer: Don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender

Zuko was excited and nervous at the same time. The wedding was getting closer and closer and yet he couldn't help but have a feeling of dread with in him. Not because of Katara. He loved her with all his heart and was ready to make it permanent. It was a feeling of something that was to come, something bad. Maybe he was just being silly; he was typically the pessimistic person in the group. Yet something still kept nagging at him to be prepared for trouble. He didn't let Katara know about his inner dread, he wasn't going to worry her over something that hadn't happened yet when she should be enjoying herself with the preparations for their wedding. She had picked out the dress, decided on a cake, and had gotten bridesmaid outfits for her closest girlfriends; Toph and Suki.

When she asked him who he had in mind for his best man, he came at a loss. He _really_ didn't think it appropriate to ask Aang, and Sokka wasn't really a close friend of his. So he wound up asking Uncle to do it. Which Iroh was more than happy to oblige. They would be having it out in the open, that way anyone who wanted to go could do so. The public was eager to see their young Fire Lord wed. There had never been a wedding like this before, a fire bender to a water bender.

The ceremony was to be a simple one, a few words spoken to one another, the traditional drinking of the sacred wine that would bless and bind them as a couple, and that would be the end of it. The ending kiss was a given of course!

The couple was ready for the day to arrive; they would never guess that the day would end in tragedy. . .

O_O_O

The nimble knife specialist had knocked out the guard on duty. She opened the heavy barred door to the prisoner, dragging the body in with her and shutting the door behind her. She would replace the guard in Azula's place after releasing her. That would give them enough time before anyone found out about the escape.

The sound of eerie laugher filled the confined room, "So, you've decided." The half mad voice stated.

Mai took the keys off of the downed guard and began to unlock the prisoner. "You're all I've got."

Another laugh was heard at this statement. "You'll see, Mai. You've made the right choice." Her twisted grin burned through the darkness of the tower. Mai shivered at this, continuing her way around the many locks. At last she undid the final lock. The princess was freed from her prison. Mai waited to see what the crazy woman would do. Who was to say that she wouldn't kill Mai right then and there?

Azula stood to her full height, rubbing her wrists where the shackles had been. She took in a deep breath, blowing out blue flames from her nostrils. "Come Mai, we have one last stop before we leave this place."

O_O_O

Zuko was running, following the guard who had told him to come quickly to the tower that held the Fire Nation's deadliest prisoners. The guard led him down a familiar hall, the same one he'd gone down to talk to his father. They stopped at a cell he had been to before, but what lied in that cell was no longer living. The burned husk of a man sat leaning against the wall, his eye sockets empty. His father, had been burnt alive.

"How?" Zuko asked, voice echoing off the walls.

"No one knows, my Lord. Whoever did this was a trained professional." The guard told him. Zuko felt his stomach beginning to turn; he shoved one hand against the cold wall and held his upset stomach with the other. There had been no love lost between him and his father, but seeing him meet his end like this…How could this have happened? Who would have been able to sneak past the guards and committed such a crime? Nothing came to him. He straightened up and started to leave the tower, the smell of burned flesh sticking with him.

"Sir? What shall I do with the body?" The guard called after him.

"Dispose of it. Not a word about this to anyone. We're to celebrate a wedding in three days' time; to have this sickness in the air would not bode well." Zuko told him.

"I. . .Understand my Lord." With a bow the guard went to deal with the body of Zuko's father. They would toss the body to the pig-platypus's that were corralled out back.

'_Katara must not know about this, not until after the wedding at least._' Zuko thought to himself as he tried to get ready to put on a normal face for his bride to be.


End file.
